t-Virus Project

History

On September 19, 1977 after conducting countless experiments within the laboratory adjacent to the Umbrella Research Center in the Arklay Mountains, Marcus had discovered a method of creating a new, more powerful virus using the Progenitor virus as the base element and mixing it with leech DNA. After the virus was administered to a leech, it underwent transformations and became violent and aggressive. Upon examining the blood of the leech, the basis for the t-virus was discovered. Marcus continued development and the virus was completed on January 13, 1978. Shortly after, Marcus conducted experiments on several animal species including monkeys, insects and frogs (eventually leading to the development of the Eliminator, Lurker and Plague Crawler) mimicking experiments previously carried out using the Progenitor virus. While definite results were observed, Marcus ended the experiments furiously after not getting the results he desired, ending with the belief that humans were the only viable test subjects.
Soon after the creation of the t-virus, one of the executive candidates who he had fiercely trusted known as Albert Wesker revealed information to Ozwell E. Spencer, another founder of Umbrella who Marcus had recently come into bitter terms with, about Marcus' research. Spencer ordered several Umbrella employees to retrieve a sample of the virus from Marcus. However, they were unsuccessful, instead becoming specimens for Marcus' research. In the time that followed, many unwilling human test subjects were victims of Marcus' experiments - including several junior executive candidates at the Research Center, with the total victim count being around 20. The t-virus was later stolen from Marcus by Wesker and William Birkin, another student at the Research Center who Marcus trusted. Afterwards, Spencer closed the Research Center and moved all t-virus research to the nearby Arklay Laboratory. Here, the t-Virus Project began in earnest.

First Phase

At the top-secret Arklay Laboratory, Wesker and Birkin became chief researchers in charge of R&D into the t-virus and B.O.W. research. What became known as the "First Phase" of t-virus development following its initial completion was an effort to stabilise the virus well enough to produce viable Bio Organic Weapons. In total, it took 3 years for such a result to be realized. During early experiments with the virus, spiders were accidentally infected with it. Umbrella researchers in the Arklay Laboratory took note of this and began conducting injection tests on large, poisonous spiders to test their potential application as B.O.W. The result of this project was the "Web Spinner".

Second Phase

In 1981, after several experiments on humans were conducted, the virus finally became stable enough to produce a living biological weapon in the form of the "Zombie" creature and the project reached its Second Phase with the ability to be used directly for genetic manipulation.
Due to compatibility issues between the virus and the human genome, it became clear that the virus would only infect 90% of a population with the remaining 10% being unaffected as a result of natural immunity. Unhappy with this development, Spencer ordered for a 100% infection rate. Meanwhile, Birkin engineered a biological weapon with an increased emphasis on fighting ability by combining the genetic material of another creature with a fertilized human egg and administering the t-virus, producing a creature capable of killing all human beings in a designated target zone. The virus caused the embryos to grow much more quickly than normal and this B.O.W. was later officially dubbed "Hunter".
In 1983, Wesker began to ponder about the adaptability of the t-virus and the risk of secondary infection, due to it being able to infect and mutate the genomes of both animal and plants alike. Among the research conducted during the Second Phase, other B.O.W. were produced from other creatures. These included the earlier spider-based "Web Spinner", the "Cerberus", based on military trained Dobermans and "Neptune", based on a Great White shark. The final result of the facility's experiments was the "Chimera", developed like the Hunter by mutating the human genome with the t-virus and combining the genetic material of a fly. A rumoured 5th B.O.W. was also produced, known as the "Tick", an insect-based subspecies related to the Hunter and Chimera.
By 1988, as the project was about to enter its Third Phase, certain figures within Umbrella called for the research of James Marcus to be shut down. Under top-secret orders from Spencer himself and in exchange for his money, Wesker and Birkin assassinated Marcus and stole all of his research for use in their own project. As a research team conducted an investigation on the B.O.W. produced by Marcus, they, like Marcus, deduced that humans were the most viable test subjects for the virus. In response, the Arklay B.O.W. Research Team commenced the Tyrant Project under Birkin's direction.

Third Phase

The Third Phase of the t-virus project began in full with the Tyrant Project-- the goal to produce the ultimate B.O.W. The B.O.W. in question was a highly sophisticated fighting biological weapon, a super-soldier capable of receiving and understanding orders and carrying them out with utmost efficiency-- dubbed "Tyrant" after the project and the virus itself. Unlike previous experiments, the Tyrant would not be an animal, but a human subject. The idea was to administer the t-virus to a human subject and adapt it fully to the host. However, a huge problem lay with the fact that the strain of the t-virus used to create Zombies and Hunters was deemed unsuitable due to its tendency to destroy the subject's brain cells, limiting intelligence, which was required to successfully develop a Tyrant. In order to correct this issue, Birkin worked to extract and develop a t-virus variant which would cause the least amount of damage to the brain, preserving as much intelligence as possible. However, the Genetic Analytic team at the Arklay Laboratory turned up another issue, only 1 in 10 million people would possess a genetic compatibility to the new variant, the remainder would merely become Zombies.
With the project at a standstill, Wesker instead set his sights on the parasite developed by the Sixth Laboratory in France. After administering the parasite to Lisa Trevor, they observed changes which would later become the genesis of the G-virus and in response, Wesker left the Arklay B.O.W. Research Team in 1991 to become an Umbrella intelligence agent. Not long after in December 1991, one Sergei Vladimir approached Umbrella. After passing the test for becoming a Tyrant, Sergei was convinced by Nicholai Zinoviev to turn over 10 clones of himself to Umbrella. Sergei did so in the end, and the Tyrant Project and the t-Virus Project in general resumed.
With compatible specimens at the ready, the Arklay Laboratory initially produced two Tyrants-- the failed Proto Tyrant (T-001 Type) and the successful Tyrant (T-002 Type), which was formally named after the virus and considered the ultimate bioweapon. T-001 was a success in theory; it presented all of the characteristics of a successful B.O.W. However the lack of further development into controlling the mutative and erosive nature of the t-virus meant that it was far from perfect. The T-002 was aimed at rectifying this issue. The T-002, unlike the T-001, was kept in development for a longer time to make further refinements and improvements, and was nurtured so as to reach its full potential. The T-002 was a vast improvement over the T-001; stronger, faster, more agile and able to be controlled and follow simple orders. Meanwhile, another Tyrant model was developed elsewhere. This model, the "Tyrant T-103 Type" was superior to the previous two, but required the data of the T-002 to be completed. After a successful experiment with the T-002, the Arklay B.O.W. Research Team also commenced the "Talos Project"-- producing the T-A.L.O.S. prototype.
Some sections of Umbrella began to engineer the virus for use in "virus therapy" as a treatment for cancer and normally fatal, cancerous illnesses. One of these strains was bought by Javier Hidalgo as a drug to treat his wife's fatal illness. In 1993, another strain of this nature known as T-JCCC203 was delivered to the private hospital in Raccoon Forest for experimentation, applied to patients (or rather, test subjects) Doug Frost and Dorothy Lester. These strains appear to wipe out the cancerous elements at first, but the virus still turns the subject into a monster by the end. Hilda became a large amphibious creature due to her repeated injections of the virus, whilst Dorothy Lester became a Zombie.

Further Developments

Over the years, t-virus R&D was continued by Umbrella and its branch facilities all over the globe who began to use the new discoveries in their own research to improve on the developments begun at Arklay. The Sixth Laboratory of the France branch directly administered by Umbrella Headquarters had mobilized the Nemesis Project to its full potential following the Mansion Incident with the creation of the Nemesis-T Type. The B.O.W. development team and genetic engineering research department on Sheena Island developed a method of artificial selection of superior genes through a cellular 'battle'. These superior genes would then be administered during the Tyrant cultivation process-- resulting in the Hypnos-T Type.
Umbrella refused to abort research on the virus and continued selling it as a viral weapon.

Post-Umbrella

By 2003, the last remnants of Umbrella were finally dismantled and research on the t-virus by Umbrella was brought to an end. Following Umbrella's dissolution, countless strains of the t-virus wound up on the black market, likely perpetuated by former Umbrella employees, leading to a new age of bioterrorism. Taking no chances after Raccoon City, the United States Government supported the development of a 100% effective vaccine against the t-virus. Due to this, the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) was founded under the jurisdiction of the United Nations, with one its founding members being Chris Redfield. With the creation of a 100% effective vaccine by WilPharma and its retrieval by the U.S. Government, it is assumed that the t-virus itself is no longer a threat to developed nations, but the biological weapons it creates still remain a problem.

Attributes

Signs and Symptoms

Secondary transmission of the virus is the slowest method of infection, throughout which several symptoms appear.

• fever
• nausea
• itching
• sweating
• insatiable hunger

Pathogenesis

The t-virus is very similar in nature to the Progenitor virus. The t-virus takes up residence in the cells of the host, just like a normal virus, and self-propagates by using the synthesis properties and energy of proteins. In other words, the protein and nucleic acid synthesis program of cells that have been infected with the t-virus is rewritten based on the nucleus of the virus, resulting in growing numbers of new t-virus nuclei. Unlike the Progenitor virus, the t-virus does not appear to cause an "evolution" of the cells.
After infection, the t-virus spreads throughout the victim's body and affects its systems, starting with internal secretory systems, spreading to nearly all organs making up the body, such as the skin, muscles, nerves, circulatory, respiratory, digestive and skeletal systems. One major transformation is an unusual increase in growth hormone and the tendency for the body to increase in size. The effect of the virus on the muscular system - to multiply the strength of the host organism - is particularly surprising. For the nervous system, the virus dulls sensations of pain and fear, while at the same time significantly increasing aggression. These are all important characteristics of a bio-weapon - B.O.W. Metabolic activation is another result, leading to an increase in appetite and often a complete change in diet.
The t-virus can be spread through a variety of methods. The least common method appears to be transmission through the air. It is not known if the t-virus has the ability to be airborne.

Mammalia

Secondary infection of a mammal normally leads to:

• rotting of the skin, congestion
• deterioration of muscle fiber
• extreme degeneration of intelligence
• paralysis of pain sensations
• metabolic activation
• heightened aggression

These physical traits can be found in almost all t-virus infected mammals, namely Zombies, Cerberus, Bats and Eliminators. The extreme degeneration of intelligence is also dependant on species, as Eliminators are known to possess much more intelligence than zombies and are capable of understanding basic orders. In humans, t-virus infection is only 90% effective, with the remaining 10% of the population having a natural immunity to the virus, even when directly bitten by a Zombie or another infected creature. As well as this, the rate of the infection is unique to each person, and can be influenced by several factors which may speed up or slow down infection.

Arthropoda

In arthropods, the most common trait is an increase in size which occurs almost indefinitely regardless of the species involved. The exact size varies. Fleas, wasps, bees, spiders, scorpions, worms, centipedes, earwigs and moths have all been known to undergo extremely dramatic size increases. Along with this trait, heightened aggression, metabolic activation and a change in diet to carnivorous or omnivorous are all common. The change in diet is a direct result of the sudden metabolic activation of the infected arthropod, which now requires a substantially higher amount of energy to sustain itself.

Reptilia

Like arthropods, reptilians undergo the same size and aggression increases, as well as metabolic activation. They do not normally appear to have any physical degradation due to their scales.

Amphibia

Although very few cases of amphibian t-virus infection have been observed, they have been known to experience the same size increase, change of diet, metabolic activation and heightened aggression as other animal types. Their unique skin makes them appear "normal" in comparison to other creatures which have exposed flesh.

Plantae

Plants, once infected with the t-virus generally develop an advanced level of sentience and, depending on species, increase in size. Some have also been known to gain poisonous attributes. The first recorded t-Virus infected plant with such ability was the Plant 42 within the guardhouse of the Arklay Laboratory. Other examples include the "Monster Plant" and "Evil Shade".

Birds

While birds (such as the Crow, or Hornbill) do not undergo an increase in size, they become extremely aggressive and their diet changes to include meat to make up for their metabolic activation. On top of this, while they do undergo physical degradation, their feathers mask their degeneration.

t-Virus Versions

Over the years, many different strains, variants and mutations of the t-virus were produced or discovered by Umbrella throughout its many facilities all over the world. Below is a list of known examples.

Variants

Marcus ver.

The first strain developed by Marcus from the Progenitor virus after combining Progenitor with the genetic material of leeches. It is the strain upon which all others are based. Used to develop the Lurker, Plague Crawler and Eliminator. It is the most inferior strain.

Stabilized ver.

Developed in 1981 at the Arklay Laboratory. Until the development of this improved strain, it was almost impossible for the Arklay research team to develop viable B.O.W.s. This variant, the main element of the Second Phase of t-virus development, is the version ideal for creating Zombies and Hunters and other creatures, but has the defect of eroding certain parts of the brain and making the subject's brain cells decline dramatically. It replaced Marcus’ strain as the one upon which the rest are based.

Hilda ver.

A variant of the virus which was developed for use as an analeptic drug for ‘virus therapy’. It was bought by Javier Hidalgo in 1991 from an Umbrella researcher linked to the Ashford family and administered to his wife Hilda Hildago in an attempt to cure her of her fatal illness. Although her condition improved, she never regained consciousness. In the end, the continued injections of the virus made her mutate into an indescribable amphibious monster.

T-JCCC203

A variant of the t-virus developed as a medical drug which was supplied to the private hospital in Raccoon Forest by a dummy company of Umbrella in 1993 and administered to two patients, Doug Frost and Dorothy Lester. Unlike the normal version of the virus, this variant was recorded to actually destroy cancerous cells and briefly restore health before eventually reverting to the virus' normal behaviour, turning both Doug and Dorothy into Zombies.

V-ACT ver.

A t-virus mutation produced within the body of the Crimson Head Prototype 1, it was cultured by Umbrella and is the strain responsible for the outbreak in the Arklay Laboratory. It is known for its unique process known as "V-ACT" which can revive an incapacitated zombie in a deadlier state. Aside from the V-ACT process, it is not much different from the stabilized version.

Birkin ver.

The strain known widely as the cause of the Raccoon City outbreak. Although based on the V-ACT strain, it does not produce Crimson Heads. Instead, it produces a new life-form known as the "Licker" with a process similar to V-ACT. It is based on the V-ACT strain, but has been enhanced further.

Tyrant ver.

The variant extracted and developed by Birkin in order to cause the lowest level of destruction to a subject’s brain cells, thus retaining intelligence. However, this variant is only compatible with 1 in 10 million people, and only one person to date has been found to have this genetic compatibility-- Sergei Vladimir.

Abandoned Plant ver.

A mutated strain of the Birkin ver. which leaked throughout the Incineration Disposal Plant P-12A in Raccoon City in May 1998 following the facility's inability to deal with the growing amount of waste material from the Underground Laboratory.

Rockfort Island ver.

An experimental version of the t-virus developed on Rockfort Island. It has a higher infection rate, a wider dispersal radius and generally works faster than other strains, infecting the entire island within minutes. This same version later leaked in the Umbrella Antarctic Base following the crash of several sea planes carrying the virus into the facility. It is speculated to be airborne.

Trial ver.

A developmental version of the t-virus which was stored in an agent safe for trial products in the Paris Laboratory. Three samples were stolen by followers of Morpheus D. Duvall in a raid in September 2002. Following the sea jacking of the Spencer Rain, Morpheus released the virus, infecting the crew, Umbrella employees, Umbrella customers and even his own followers. This strain is airborne, and similar to the one developed on Rockfort Island. One notable difference between this and other strains is that Zombies produced by it supposedly retain some of their memories.

Progressive Tyrant ver.

The final product of the "Tyrant Project", capable of producing a Tyrant without any degeneration in intelligence or loss of will. It was used by Sergei Vladimir on himself on February 18, 2003.

Treatment

There were three known vaccines to the t-virus that were developed in 1998, before and during the outbreak in Raccoon City. A perfected inoculation vaccine was later completed in 2005. Anti-bodies were a product of Umbrella's own anti-viral research, but were generally either completely ineffective or only slightly effective due to the nature of the virus to mutate randomly depending on its environment. .

Vaccine (Raccoon General Hospital)

The first was developed by doctors at the Raccoon General Hospital. The reference material for the vaccines cultivation was written by Douglas Lauper, head of the North American division of “Umbrella Medical Equipment”. Once the composite machine operation was stabilized by sufficient electrical power, a culture fluid base was then placed in the machine. It was explained that the combination of this base with the proper ingredients would create antigen bodies able to fight the virus. Before the vaccine could be produced, the outbreak had already left the city in ruin and all of the doctors involved had died. This particular vaccine was later synthesised by Carlos Oliveira in an effort to cure Jill Valentine, who had been infected by the Nemesis-T Type. It is unknown if the vaccine was completely effective, as the t-virus within Jill was not destroyed, but merely put into a dormant state. Due to the lack of further samples of the vaccine, this cannot be ascertained.

Daylight (Raccoon University)

The second was the brainchild of Greg Mueller and Peter Jenkins, and was codenamed "Daylight". Developed at Raccoon University by the pair, it was a unique reagent that could suppress the growth of the t-virus. Daylight was comprised of the following components ~ P-Base, which acted as the base for the vaccine. V-Poison, derived from wasp venom as a culture catalyst, and finally T-Blood - blood taken from a creature infected with the t-virus. However, the project was not entirely a valiant effort, as Greg Mueller had selfishly aimed to use the vaccine to destroy Umbrella, believing that a vaccine against their most valued viral agent would severely cripple the organisation. Unfortunately, no samples of the vaccine were retrieved from Raccoon University, which was destroyed by Nicholai Zinoviev.

AT1521 (Umbrella)

An additional vaccine was developed at an Umbrella laboratory in Raccoon City, primarily by Michael Jenkins. It was Umbrella's only known official attempt at synthesising a vaccine for the t-virus. Despite this, it was only effective on those who did not show any symptoms of infection. It does not eliminate the virus and instead inhibits the virus' growth rate and slows it down. It was tested on lab mice with a 99.91% success rate. The only known sample was destroyed by the Tyrant R, however, additional samples may have been cultivated by former Umbrella researcher Linda, who knew how to re-create it. 3

t-Vaccine (Frederic Downing/WilPharma)

Developed by former Umbrella researcher Frederic Downing and the pharmaceutical company WilPharma Corporation. After the decision to use the t-virus in bioterrorism, work was secretly begun by WilPharma to develop a vaccine to prevent zombification. At the center of this research was the company's chief researcher, Frederic Downing. He stole the t-virus and G-virus and managed to escape Raccoon City just before its destruction. By erasing his past, he was able to join WilPharma. In other words, he developed the vaccine through the knowledge he previously had about the t-virus. In developing the vaccine, he thought about a demonstration to prove the efficiency of the vaccine he created and to prevent it from being sold other than as a combined set of both virus and vaccine. In 2002, he disguised himself as a black market dealer and met with General Miguel Grande, who was supporting a terrorist group in India. He sold the t-virus to the General, setting off a bioterrorism incident.
After the incident of the Raccoon City tragedy and the horror of the t-virus, the United States Government received a request for help from India and decided to introduce the t-vaccine, which was currently under development by WilPharma. By introducing it to neighbouring areas, they successfully kept the spread of infection to a minimum. In this way, WilPharma won the trust of the United States government. Then, in order to increase the maturity of the virus, WilPharma continued to perform clinical trials based out of India where cheap and skilled labour was plentiful. Over time, there were some victims of the experiments, but the United States government tolerated these failures, and WilPharma completed development of the vaccine in 2005. All that remained was to wait for government approval. Due to accusations from TerraSave, they had to postpone supplying the t-vaccine for medical supply national stockpiling. Soon after, a bio-terror attack with the t-virus occurred at Harvardville Airport. All of the U.S. Marines involved in the clean-up operation were inoculated with the vaccine, which proved its success when they reclaimed the entire airport without any infections. All of the trucks carrying the vaccine were destroyed, but the last remaining sample was recovered from Frederic Downing by Leon S. Kennedy.

Anti-Bodies (Umbrella)

As well as vaccines, Umbrella made several attempts at creating viable anti-bodies to fight off infection. While some of these anti-bodies provided some results at slowing down the infection rate, their overall effectiveness was quashed due to the highly adaptable and mutation-prone nature of the virus, rendering them virtually useless after a set period of time. Anti-bodies were administered to the many U.B.C.S. troops deployed during the Raccoon City incident. In some cases t-virus anti-bodies actually find use in the manufacture of other viral agents such as the t+G-virus and Uroboros virus.
Umbrella did however develop stronger, better quality anti-bodies. While probably not 100% effective, they had a much higher defence than the ones administered to normal U.B.C.S. members. These anti-bodies were administered to the Monitors among the U.B.C.S. 4

Anti-Bodies (Jill)

Due to the vaccine administered to Jill Valentine and her subsequent stasis in 2006, it was found that the vaccine administered to her in Raccoon City did not destroy the virus, instead putting it into a dormant state. When the virus reactivated, it soon disappeared due to an abundant amount of powerful anti-bodies within her body. These anti-bodies rendered her completely immune to the virus and allowed Albert Wesker to correct the potent nature of the Uroboros virus.